


Cold Bodies, Warm Hearts

by StarlightXNightmare



Category: Original Work
Genre: Crush, Fluff, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 12:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16744393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightXNightmare/pseuds/StarlightXNightmare
Summary: Ari and Ella stop for the night at an inn once the cold gets too much to bear.





	Cold Bodies, Warm Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Me posting about my OCs??? Fucking finally???

It was absolutely frigid in the woods. The air was freezing and crisp and every breath they took in sent a burning chill all the way up their nose and down to their lungs. Kane—the absolute sweetheart—had curled up around the back of Ari's neck like some living scarf, draped over their shoulders, his bright pink and green feathers and scales pleasantly warm. With him, their heavy Jaunkim fur coat, trousers, cozy snow boots, mittens, and their actual wool scarf wrapped tightly around the bottom half of their face, it wasn’t too bad for them.

They felt bad for Ella though. Due to their plan, she was in a regular old cloak, an old pair of boots, and a ratty old scarf. She looked miserable traipsing through the shin high snow, sniffing and breath rattling.

“Okay,” she began, teeth clattering together violently. “We-we agreed on the plan, right? Can we… can we go over it once more?"  

She was so pretty. Ari couldn’t help but stare, entranced by her wavy, shoulder length red hair and icy blue eyes hidden behind amber glass goggles. Her face was a bright red, burning from the cold and she rubbed at her arms in a weak attempt to get her blood flowing properly. The cloud of white billowing from her mouth drew their attention to her parted chapped lips. Gosh they wanted to hug her and hold her close, warm her up and rest their chin on her head. 

"Are you… are you even-even listening to me?” She demanded, eyes flicking over to me and catching them staring.

“Uh… ummm…” they stammered, face flushing a red deeper than Ella’s. Well, that was one way to warm up. “You look cold,” they blurted out, mentally smacking themself for stating the obvious.

Her eyebrows knit together. “What’s th-that got to do with… with anything?”

Ari tried to think of a plausible explanation for their comment before giving up. “Dunno… just noticed…”

She scoffed. “Yeah, well… we-we're almost to to-town. Can we pul-please stay on track?”

They nodded, face burning with humiliation. “Sure, sure. Go ahead.”

* * *

It was warmer at the inn they were staying at though the wooden walls didn’t do too much at keeping the frigid air from seeping through and chilling the air. The room they had payed a few pieces of silver for was shitty to say the least but that’s what they got for being cheap. It was scarcely furnished—a single twin bed with a thin blanket, a nearly broken wood chair, and a small ugly thread rug all the room possessed.

Kane dug his small claws into my shoulder briefly before hopping off his perch on their shoulders and wandered over to the dead fireplace, staring at the broken up twigs and balls of crumpled up paper lying inside. His chest glowed a bright neon green and it rose up the underside of his throat before a burst of green embers flew from his maw, catching the tinder alight.

“So… shall we share the bed?” Ella asked.

Ari inhaled sharply in surprise and once again their face burned with hot warmth, the color traveling from their cheeks all the way down half their neck. Thankfully their scarf and coat were still on, covering up their embarrassment.

“Yeah yeah… sure.” They said awkwardly, silently hoping they didn’t sound too uncomfortable.

They turned their back as she shucked off her cloak, busying themself with pulling their coat off and kicking off their boots. Ari watched as Ella flopped down on the bed and they sat down gently on the opposite side, coat still in hand. Ella crawled under the thin blanket, laying on her side so she could face them. 

“Why are you still holding your coat?”

Ari shrugged self-consciously, reaching up to rub the back of their neck. “I figured we could use the extra layer.”

She grinned. "I like the way you think.“ 

Their face heated up again but it was weaker than before, a nice and warm fluster. Their heart fluttered a bit at the words, a goofy smile crossing their face. 

_She liked the way they thought. Oh dear…_

Lifting up the blanket, she patted small space beside her and they slid onto the bed and under the blanket, rolling onto their side and throwing the coat over the two of them. It didn’t cover both of them fully but it was an improvement. They could feel the icy cold touch of her skin against theirs. A strange warmth blossomed in their chest and rose up their throat.

"Mmm that’s much better,” Ella sighed contentedly. She reached over and latched onto Ari, burrowing into their chest and pushing her head under theirs. 

They stiffened, sucking in a sharp, nervous breath. Was this really happening…?

“Hope you don’t mind… still cold. They say body heat is one of the best ways to get warm again.”

After a brief moment of stunned silence, they managed to spit out, “No, you’re fine.” Hesitantly they wrapped an arm around her and hugged her close, breathing in the smell of her berry scented hair. 

“Night, Ari,” she mumbled, reaching up and patting the top of their head before returning to her previous position.

They swallowed the lump in their throat and whispered back, “Night, Ellie.”

While they weren’t sure she returned their feelings, they’d always treasure this moment. They wished this would last forever.

**Author's Note:**

> This is v self indulgent UwU with Ari being a nonbinary/ace and Ella being pan… I’d fucking die for these two dorks tbh (please ask me about them)


End file.
